by Karl Morgan
“Whoa! Carl, you have to warn me about teleporting like that.”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want anyone to be listening. You remember those skeletons in the throne room, right?” She nodded and rolled her eyes. “Gabriel said those were demi-demons who got their power from the queen. While they can be hurt, they have a lot of power. He also mentioned the two other demons that Eight told me about. That makes two hundred and three demons we have to fight.”
“That’s why we need more Invisible Hands! That’s what you said.”
As he was about to reply, Carl noticed they were surrounded by animals. All the tree branches were filled with birds and large swarms of insects circled them. Many of the tree trunks were filled with ants, beetles, spiders, and other insects. The stag named Sylvester stepped up to them. “Just a second, Aida.” He turned to the deer. “I can guess what this is about.”
“Time is running short, Carl,” Sylvester replied. “Can you please help us now?”
“Glad to see you have your doe back, Invisible Hand,” the doe named Sally noted.
“I’m your doe?” Aida asked.
Carl smiled. “From the perspective of a deer, I suppose you are.”
She leaned in and kissed him. “That works for me.”
Carl rubbed Sylvester’s head and then kissed his snout. Then he spoke as he turned so all the creatures could hear him. “It’s best if you are touching someone who is touching Aida or me. We’ll give you a minute to get ready.” After a minute or two, he continued, “If anyone is left behind, we’ll get you on the next trip. It won’t take anytime.” He took Aida’s hand, and the entire group vanished.
The door to the groundskeeper’s house opened, and Cornelius and Lucretia Thorndike exited. Carl, Aida, and all the creatures were outside. “What’s this about?”
Carl walked over and shook their hands. “Charlie, have you heard about the threat to the school?”
“Yes, but I still don’t understand.”
“All the creatures near the school have sensed the danger and asked me to relocate them until it passes. I figured this was a safe place.”
“That makes sense. We don’t have a lot of land though.”
“This is all of them inside the school grounds. Headmaster Dorchester is working with the Azorean government now for the relocation of the people of Santa Isabela. I hope that’s enough.”
“What about the creatures outside the walls?” Lucretia asked.
Carl shrugged his shoulders. “One step at a time. I think the demon only wants to remove the underground castle. I hope everyone else will be safe, but I can’t know.”
Lucretia kissed his cheek. “Good luck, Invisible Hand.”
“Thanks. I have a feeling we’re going to need all the luck we can get.” He walked over to Aida and took her hand, and they disappeared.
Carl and Aida reappeared in the secret bell-tower room. They sat on the couch. “Okay, now about the other Invisible Hands.”
“Carl, before you start, I just want to say your devotion to those animals really touched my heart. I love you very much.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. I love you too.” They kissed. “That was real nice, and I hate to ruin the moment, but the angel warned me that the demon could turn Invisible Hands against us.”
She nodded. “That’s why I was against training Barbie. In my opinion, she’s already half-bad.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. She tried using that Succubus talent on me already. I suggested her because that would really freak the demon out. The one body she wanted could kill her.”
“How come you never told me about her trying to seduce you?”
“It wasn’t like that. We never kissed. She has this way of drawing men to her. That’s how she got the Devil’s Heart from Headmaster Greenleaf, remember?”
“Burt and Grace are okay, right?” Aida asked.
Carl stood and walked over to the windows. He could see his friends headed toward the dining hall for lunch. “Until I met the angel, I would have said absolutely yes. Now, I am petrified with doubt. I’ve known Grace for most of my life, and Burt has been a good friend, but what if I’m wrong?”
Aida walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him from the back. “What about me then? Do you think Sylvia can make me evil too?”
He turned and put his arms around her as well. “No. Your soul was inside of me. You are inside of me. I trust you completely.”
“Good.” She took his hand. “Let’s go have lunch. You didn’t even have breakfast, and I bet you’re hungry.” They walked over to the spiral staircase and headed down.
When the door to the broom closet at the bottom of the stairs opened and then closed, Sylvia appeared on the couch. She thought about what she had just heard and began to laugh.
While Carl and Aida waited in line for their turn at the cafeteria line, Barbie Conway and her family entered the dining hall with Headmaster Dorchester. They headed directly into the faculty dining room. After Carl and Aida filled their trays, they joined Grace and Burt at their table in the corner. “I’m glad to see you’re okay,” Grace said.
“Thanks. It’s been quite a morning already,” Carl replied as he sat with the windows to the atrium behind him. “We just moved all the animals and insects in the compound to the island where Cornelius Thorndike lives.”
“Carl, the dean wanted me to tell you the single room you used to have is ready for you. All new uniforms and supplies are already there.”
“Thanks, Burt. Finally, I can change these clothes from yesterday. So, what did you guys do this morning?”
“In your absence, Aida was training us on the teleport and floatation skills. She’s really good,” Grace replied.
“Thank you, Grace,” Aida said.
Carl leaned forward and motioned for the others to do likewise. He whispered, “I think we need to focus on fighting skills, both defensive and offensive. I don’t know how much time we have left.”
Grace asked, “What about Barbie?”
Carl looked down and sighed deeply. After a moment, he replied, “I don’t know. On one hand, I want her with us for her protection. On the other hand, Aida and I both feel she might be more easily convinced to support the demon.”
Grace laughed. “That’s ridiculous, Carl. As you said yourself, it’s her body the demon wants. The only sure way to keep her body and soul together is by making her the Invisible Hand. Frankly, she’s more important than either of us.”
“That’s embarrassing,” Aida admitted. “I didn’t even think about that. Carl, I agree with them.”
“Who are those people who just showed up in the atrium?” Grace asked.
Aida looked out the window. “Oh God, they’re wearing the clothes from the castle.”
Carl jumped to his feet and shouted, “Everyone get down!”
The twenty courtesans in the atrium fired lightning and fire balls, smashing through the windows and pelting the students with burning debris. Sylvia and five of the courtesans flew into the dining hall, fired down on the cowering students, and disappeared into the faculty dining room. Explosions could be heard inside.
Carl turned to face the atrium and the remaining courtesans firing and charging toward him. He belched a massive wall of fire that surrounded the attackers. Within seconds, the courtesans had been reduced to ashes, but Carl did not wait to see what happened. He reappeared on top of the table in the faculty dining room. The teachers were exchanging lightning bolts with the five courtesans.
Carl heard a laugh and turned to see Sylvia holding onto Barbie who was struggling to free herself. Her parents were on the floor under the table. The two women started to fade away, but Carl jumped and managed to grab a belt loop on Barbie’s slacks just as they vanished completely.
The three were now tumbling down a tunnel of fire. The tunnel began to twist and turn as Sylvia tried to dislodge Carl’s hold. She fired blasts of fire at Carl, but he pushed them away with a flick of his free wrist. He
reached up, grabbed the waist of Barbie’s slacks, and then released the belt loop. Sylvia hissed. “You are weak, Carl. You had your chance to survive, but now you will die.”
Carl’s cocoon gradually extended over his and Barbie’s bodies, except where Sylvia held her. “I’ve had just about enough of you, bitch. Release her!”
“I’d rather she die.” Sylvia cackled again. The tunnel ahead of them was now blocked by a wall of intense fire. “Welcome to Hell, both of you.”
The wall of flame was only seconds away. Carl extended his index finger and crystals of ice began to move up Sylvia’s body. She screamed in agony as her body began to freeze solid. The ice reached Sylvia’s neck. Carl reached up and pounded on the arm that Sylvia held Barbie with. On the third hit, the arm shattered. The cocoon extended completely over both just as they hit the wall of fire. The rest of Sylvia instantly evaporated into steam.
The fire dissolved into water. Carl and Barbie found themselves under the sea and surrounded by dolphins. “Are you okay?”
Tears rolled down Barbie’s cheeks, but she managed a weak smile. “Thanks to you.” She kissed his cheek. “I honestly thought we’d both die. Thank goodness it’s over.”
As the dolphins began to nudge the cocoon toward the shore, Carl replied, “I wish as much as you do that it was, but this nightmare isn’t over. Sylvia is an immortal demon. She’ll keep doing this until she wins or is destroyed.” The dolphins pushed the cocoon onto the shore, and it disappeared. Carl took Barbie’s hand and they began to walk away. They stopped and turned toward the surf. Carl waved, “Thanks for the help, guys!” The dolphins squealed, jumped about for a few seconds, and then moved away.
“What are we going to do to stop her?”
“Right now, things are too complicated. I need to save you, the school, and humanity from being enslaved by demons. My friends and I will train you to become an Invisible Hand. Then you can help protect yourself. The only way to protect humanity is to have more Invisible Hands, so your training is part of that. The school is a more urgent problem because the castle is underneath it.”
“There’s a castle under the school?”
“Yeah, but let’s not focus on that right now. I’m afraid the only sure way to save the school is to make a deal with the devil.”
“How do you mean, Carl?”
“Literally, I need to negotiate with Satan.”
When they returned to the school, all the damage had been repaired. Carl and Barbie stood in the atrium gawking as the fully restored wall and dining room inside. “Wow!” Barbie exclaimed. “Was it a dream or something?”
Carl smiled. “It had to be Aida.”
As she approached, Aida said, “Guilty as charged.”
Carl laughed. “Yeah, I remember our water house and the other island. That’s amazing! Was anyone seriously injured?”
“A couple of teachers were burned, but I put a cocoon over the students in the dining room, so they’re okay. What happened to you two?”
Headmaster Dorchester arrived and grabbed Carl by the arm. “Come with me, Prescott.” They headed away.
“What was that about?” Barbie asked.
“Homicide, I suspect,” Aida replied.
Carl Prescott sat at the end of the table in the headmaster’s office. The headmaster, dean, and Professor Donnelly glowered at him. “Carl, I am seriously considering expelling you and turning you over to the police.”
Carl looked surprised for a moment and then shrugged. “If that’s what you want, it’s your prerogative.”
“You’re not even going to offer an excuse?” Dean Whitehall asked.
Carl smiled. “Since I don’t know why I’m here, that’s a bit difficult to do, Dean.”
“Several students witnessed you murder fifteen of the people who attacked the school,” Dorchester practically shouted. “Carl, you’re the Invisible Hand. Surely, you did not have to resort to homicide.”
“What happened to the five who invaded the faculty dining room, Headmaster?”
Professor Donnelly replied, “Once the demon escaped with you and the Conway girl, they fled. What’s your point?”
“Neither those five nor the ones in the atrium were human beings,” Carl stated. “They were demi-demons, resurrected by the demon to take over the world.”
“How can you know that? What proof do you have?” Dorchester asked.
“I am not at liberty to discuss who told me, however, if you send someone to the underground castle, they will find at least twenty skeletons, if not all, are now missing.”
“I don’t believe you,” the headmaster said with a scoff.
Carl stood. “If you will all stand, we’ll go together.”
The three teachers looked at each other and stood one by one. Carl smiled, and they reappeared near the pile of rubble from the floor in the broom closet that had collapsed. Dorchester headed toward the throne room with the others behind him. He gasped when they reached the open doorway. All the chairs were empty. “Carl, how do you explain this?”
“They were like the Sleeping Ones when the soul was in one place and the body in another. Now, I understand why the castle is here, far beneath an undiscovered island thousands of miles from land. When the demon Sylvia was queen, she gave almost godlike powers to her loyal followers. They would live forever, but could still be killed by accident or attack. When the Roman army arrived, most were slaughtered. Later, when she knew the rest would die, she took their flesh, organs, and souls with her to Hell, where they lived in opulence and pleasure. They were waiting for the right moment to reassume their power. Now, in other words. If I had not destroyed those demi-demons, they would attack us again and again until they or we died. When I saw them in the atrium, they were wearing the clothes that were here with their bones. To end the madness, I had no choice.”
“That’s an interesting theory, Prescott. What evidence do you have to substantiate it?”
Carl sighed. “Headmaster, I don’t think it would be wise for me to divulge the source, but I can tell you he is an immortal. You all remember the woman in your dining room who took Barbie.” They nodded. “That is the demon named Sylvia. If not for my luck to be able to go with them, Barbie’s soul would already be lost, and the queen would have a human body again.” He forced a small smile. “If it’s okay, I’m going back to my friends now. We have much work to do. If you choose to call the police, I won’t resist arrest, but the consequences of my absence will be on your heads.” Without waiting for a response, Carl walked out of the throne room. As he approached the pile of rubble, he could hear the others arguing.
After returning to the school, Carl and his friends got a picnic basket and headed toward a nearby stand of trees. None were able to have lunch due to the attack, and he had missed breakfast as well. “It’s so strange with no animals about.”
Grace and Aida spread out the blanket while Burt removed the contents of the basket. They all sat and began to enjoy the sandwiches and cold soda. “I am sensing some animals in the area. Isn’t that weird?” Grace asked.
Just then, twenty owls flew out of the forest, circled the area for a few circuits and then landed on the ground nearby. They all spread their wings and bowed their heads. The students bowed in return. “It’s good to see you again, Carl and Aida,” Devin, the snow-white owl said. It hopped over and rubbed its head against Grace’s arm. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mother.”
Grace blushed, bent over, and kissed the bird’s head. “You’re so nice.”
The owl hopped back to the other birds and then turned to face the students. “How goes your plan of action, Invisible Hand?”
“Okay, so far, Devin. We’re already working with Grace and Burt to get the skill, and we plan to train Barbara Conway too.”
“And your deal with the devil, Carl?”
“How do you know about that?”
A brown owl with yellow edges on its feathers said, “Devin, please let me answer that question.”
D
evin turned to the other bird. “Balthazar, I’m not certain we should spend valuable time on such trifles.”
“I disagree,” another owl with white feathers flecked with brown and black spots interjected. “Understanding our place in the universe would be invaluable to these Invisible Hands. It always has been so in the past.”
Devin ruffled his feathers and turned back to the students. “Carl, now you see why most creatures avoid our conclaves. The back-and-forth and posturing can be quite trying, boring, and oddly reminiscent of a human legislature at work. Would you like to indulge my friends or should we cut to the chase?”
All the other birds ruffled their feathers and flapped their wings noisily.
“I think we should hear them out,” Grace said. “I really want to know.”
Carl looked at each of his friends and then turned back to the birds. “Please tell us, Balthazar.”
Devin rolled his eyes.
Balthazar hopped forward and bowed his head slightly. “I appreciate your interest. Owls and whales occupy unique places in the fauna of this planet. For most life, the preservation of the species is the highest purpose. Stated in the most basic terms, you find enough to eat and stay alive long enough to procreate. In that way, when you die your species continues. The more the population grows, the more successful future generations become. Your species is a bit different. Rather than survive in the environment, you change it to suit yourselves. Eventually humanity got to the point where the risk of an early death was almost eliminated. That enabled your species to explore more esoteric pursuits, such as science and spirituality. In our view, your species evolved to end the struggle to survive. The whales and owls are a bit different. We evolved by the Grace of God to escape the struggle altogether. We have few if any natural predators. Without opposable thumbs, science and construction were problematic. That left us as spiritualists. Think of us like the sages of old. We wander the world to pass the word of God to our fellow travelers. Our needs are small, and we feel no requirement to do great deeds. We exist to bless our God and to share the experience of His Majesty with all other life. Some think of us as pompous or elitists, but the opposite is true. We are nothing more than followers of the Word of God.”